…after a bit of time and a few phone calls, the officials still seemed pretty confused. One of them walked past and I asked what was wrong. He wanted to know if the original border agent, where we entered Argentina, had mentioned that we wouldn’t be able to leave.

Most countries require a tourist visa of some kind for visiting foreigners. Commonly you’ll get a stamp in your passport and a set number of days you’re allowed to remain before exiting. For those of us traveling with a vehicle, there’s an extra step at the border and an extra piece of paper with its own, often different, time allowance.

This extra little token of bureaucracy is commonly known as a “TIP”, or Temporary Import Permit.